Vibration isolators



4, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,262,388

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 ll, Sheets-Sheet l E; sir-1Q! t 3 {0 sm (7,)

He. /A K M F/e. lc. PRIOR ART 3 PIP/0R ART PRIOR ART M EQUILIBRIUM POSITION lNvEN roR AUBREY J. H GooDwIN ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,202,388

VIBRATION I S OLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 ll Sheets-Sheet 2 lNvENToR AUBREY J. ".GOODWIN 51381330 Nl NOLLVIINBllV Aug. 24, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,202,333

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 11 Sheets-Sheet s NVENTOR AUBREY J Hfioonwm ATTORNEY W Aug. 24, 1965 A. J. H. sooowm VIBRATION ISOLATORS ll Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed May 5, 1959 I NvENToR AUBREY J. H.6O0DW1N ATTORNEY 4, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,202,388

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 Pas/1163 E UILIBRIUM M U, PO SLTIO N l egggl g m EQUILIBRIUM I POSITION INVENTOE AUBQEY J. H.6QODWIN Aug. 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN k 3,202,388

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 O O n fNvENToR AUBREY J. H. Emouww 381330 NI 1 BY ATTORN EY Aug. 24, 1965 Original Filed May 5, 1959 A. J. H. GOODWIN VIBRATION ISOLATORS 11, Sheets-Sheet 7 t NVENTQR AUBREY J. H. GoobWlN S138 I330 NI NOllVflNHllV O O n O ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 Original Filed May 5, 1959 A. J. H. GOODWIN VIBRATION ISOLATORS 11 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR AUBREY J. H Goobw IN 51381330 NI NOILVHNBLW Avrolag l Aug. 24, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,202,338

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTQR AUBREY J. H. GOODWIN 3 ma 5 alumna wabw I I i ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 A. J. H. GOODWIN 3,292,388

VIBRATION ISOLATORS Original Filed May 5, 1959 ll Sheets-Sheet l0 O P O in O n up 0 w'r m m (in R1 o IX UJ 4 a0 amvA HflNlldO INvENToa AUBREY J. H-GOODWIN ATTORNEY E Q E...

11, Sheets-Sheet l 1 A. J. H. GOODWIN VIBRATION ISOLAI'ORS Aug. 24, 1965 Original Filed May 5, 1959 lNvENToR AUBREY J. Hfioobwm BY (A) tfqm I a mains.

ATTORNEY United States Patent and this appli Vibration isolators are the subject of my copending patent application Serial No. 811,178 filed May 5, 1-959, now Patent No. 3,09l,1(l3 issued May 28, 1963, of which this application is a division.

This invention relates to vibration isolators, that is to say, devices for isolating from a first body a periodic force applied to a second body While at the same time transmitting :to the first body a constant force applied to the second body.

Throughout the specification, the term periodic force is used to mean a force that varies periodically With respect to time or a component of a force, which con ponent varies periodically with respect to time, the term constant force is used to mean either a force that remains substantially constant over a single period or" the periodic force or a component of a force, which component remains substantially constant over a single period of the periodic force, and the term isolating? is used to include both not transmitting at all and transmitting with attenuation.

The second body may be, for example, a machine and the first body may be a support for the machine. The vibration isolator would then serve to isolate from the support periodic forces arising from the operation of the machine While at the same time supporting or partially supporting the machine by transmitting the Weight, or :a part of the weight, of the machine to the support.

An important application of vibration isolators is for mounting [the engines of vehicles and vessels. In this case, in addition to a periodic force arising from the operation of the engine and the constant force arising from the weight of the engine, forces arise from the movement of the vehicle or vessel, but such forces usually do not vary signincant-ly over a single period of the periodic force and therefore they form part of the constant force that the vibration isolator must be able to transmit.

The effectiveness of a vibration isolator is measured by its transrnissibility, Which is defined as the ratio of the.

force transmitted by the vibration isolator to the force applied to the body. When the applied force is constant, the transmissibility is unity and the displacement or" the body is inversely proportional to the static silliness, which it is desirable should be as large as possible. The transmissibility of the vibration isolator for the periodic force should, however, be as small as possible.

The following is a list of symbols Which are used in the specification, together with the meanings assigned to them: 1

A Etfeotive cross-sectional area of the variable-volume container.

A; and A Cross-sectional areas of the ducts to the first second vessels respectively.

B and B Bulk moduli of the fluids in the first and second vessels respectively.

C and C Damping efiects of the fluids in the ducts of the first and second vessel and duct systems respectively referred to the variable-volume container.

F Amplitude to the applied periodic force.

F Amplitude of the periodic force transmitted to the first body.

32%23355 Patented Aug. 24, 1965 K -Sta t-ic stiitness of a complete vibration mounting.

K and K Static stiffnesses of :the first and second vessel and duct systems respectively referred to the variable-volume container.

K K and K 'Static stiffnesses of the component conventional type of vibration isolators.

L and L Length-s of the ducts to the first and second fiuid-con1taiuing vessels respectively.

MMoun'ted mass per mounting.

M -Intermediate mass per mounting.

V and V *Capac-ities of the first and second fluid-com taining essels respectively.

XMaximum value of the ratio F /F Y 'Factor by which the best attenuation of a fluid vibration isolator exceeds the attenuation, rat a given frequency, of an equivalent conventional vibration isolator.

gGrav-itational acceleration.

m and "lg-Vil'ztllfil masses of the fluids in the ducts of the first and second vessel and duct systems respective-1y referred to the variable-volume container.

p-Pressure of the i'luid in the variable-volume container.

q 'Stitiness ratio K /K rThe proportion of the fluid in the variable-volume container working, at any particular frequency, in associa- .tion with the first fluid-containing vessel of a fluid vi bration isolator having two such vessels.

S-Stitiness ratio K /K x -Disp1acement of the mounted mass from the equilibrium poosition.

x Displacement of the intermediate mass from the equilibrium position.

y Displ-acement from the equilibrium position of the unction between a fluid vibration isolator and a conventional vibration isolator.

sin otPeriodic function of the applied periodic force.

A St-a-tic deflection of the mounted mass under gravity.

q Forcing frequency ratio for a conventional two-mass vibration isolator,

n V K A K 'y Fo-rcing frequency ratio for the first fluid-containing vessel and assoc-rated duct of la fluid vibration isolator incorporating two such vessels 22 2 v K1 'y -lForcing frequency ratio for the second fiuidconztaining vessel and associated duct .or" a fluid vibration isolator incorporating two such vessels,

a Mass ratio M M p1 and -Coeflicients of viscosity of the fluids in the ducts associated with the first and second fluid-com taming vessels respectively.

1/; and v Kinematic viscosities of the fluids in the ducts w Frequ'en'cy of the applied periodic force atwhich maximum amplification occurs measured in radians per unit time. i a -Frequency of the applied periodic force at which best attenuation occurs measured in radians per unit time. i I nExponent of polytropic expansion and compression of a gas used in a fluid vibration isolator.

In addition to being used to refer to the first vessel and duct system of a fluid virbation isolator having two fluid-containing vessels, the symbols having the suflix 1 are also used to refer to the vessel system of a fluid vibration isolator having only one such vessel. 7

In order to explain the nature of the problem with which the invention is concerned and to assist in the understanding of the invention, the operation of three forms of anti-vibration mounting that have previously been proposed will now be described in some detailwith reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 2 of the accompanying drawings in which: v

i V i schematically a simple conventional FIG. 1A shows 1 vibration isolator;

FIG. 1B shows schematically a conventional two-mass vibration isolator; I

shows schematically a dynamic vibration absorber; and

FIG. 2 is a graph comparing the attenuation given by the conventional two-mass vibration isolator shown 7 in FIG. 1B with that given by the simple conventional vibration isolator shown in FIG. 1A over a range of frequencies for diflerent values of the mass ratio of the two-mass vibration isolator,

FIGURE 3 shows schematically a vibration isolator constructed according to this invention;

,, FIGURE 4 is a graphicalrepresentation of the .attenuatio n produced by the vibration isolator shown in FIG- URE 3 over a range of frequencies in comparison with.

the attenuation produced by a simple conventional vibration isolator having: the samestaticstiflness; I

FIGURE 5 is an axial section of a plunger and barrel I assembly suitable for use as a variable-volume container and the value of q for the fluid vibration isolator shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the optimum value of the transmissibility and the value of q for the fluid vibration isolator shown in FIGURE 4.

Throughout the description of the three known forms of anti-vibration mounting, the eifects of damping are neglected. In practice, some damping will always be present and this eliminates the sudden phase changes and infinite amplitude that occurs at resonances according to the simplifiedtheory given below, and also reduces the optimum attenuation given by the mounting. The presence of a small degree of damping does not, however, materially alter the behaviour of the mounting when the 4, mounting is not in resonance with the. applied periodic force. V

The simplest form of anti-vibration mounting is a system having resilience and negligible mass, and such' a vibration isolator will hereinafter be referred to as a simple conventional vibration isolator. The transmissibility of such isolators, of which springs and rubber blocks V are examples, is a function of the dynamic stifiness (which is assumed for the sake of simplicity to be equal to the static stiflness) of the vibration isolator, the inertia of the body to which-the periodic force is applied, and the frequency of the applied force.

Referring to FIG. 1A of the drawings, a periodic force applied to the body 1 is isolated from the support 2 by a simple conventional vibration isolator, which is shown as a spring 3. The force applied to the body. 1 causes the body 1 to be displaced from the position that it would occupy if no force were "applied to it and the spring 3 were consequently not under load (except for the constant force). This displacement of the body 1 gives rise to two tional to the square of the frequency of the periodic niovernent of the body 1 and to the displacement of the body 1), and the forcearising from the static stiffness of the spring 3 which is exerted equally and oppositely on the body 1 and the support 2. The inertia force, however, acts only upon the body 1. Accordingly, the transmissibility of the vibration isolator depends upon the relativemagnitudes and phases of these two forces in-relation to the applied force.

At low frequencies, the inertia force is 'negligible and therefore the stiffness of the spring 3 has to oppose the whole. of the applied force. The transrriissibility of the vibration isolator under these conditions is effectively unity. 'In other words, it transmits a constant force without attenuation.

Asthe frequency rises, the inertia force of the body is initially less than the force exerted by the spring 3, and this implies that the displacement of the body 1 (and consequently the inertia force of the body 1) shall be in phase with the applied force. Under these conditions, the stiffness of the spring 3 has to balance both the applied force and the inertia force of the bodyl. Ac cordingly the force exerted by the spring 3 has to be larger than in the static case and the ltransmissibility of the'isolator is greater than unity. As the frequency, increases further, the transmissibility continues to increase until ,the inerti'a force of the body 1 becomes equal in magnitude to the force exerted by the spring 3. At the frequency at which this occurs, the system is said to hem resonance and the displacement of the body 1 (and consequently the transmissibilty of the isolator) becomes indefinitely large. :Under these conditions, the applied force is not opposed at all because the'inertia force of the body 1 and the stiflness of the spring 3 exactly balance each other.

Above the resonant frequency, the inertia force of the body 1 becomes larger than the force exerted by the spring 3, which implies that the displacement of the body 1 (and consequently the inertia force of the body 1) shall be in antiphase with the applied force. The force exerted by the spring 3 is then in phase with the applied force and, consequently, the inertia force of the body 1 has to balance both the applied force and the force exerted by the spring 3. For frequencies only slightly above the resonant frequency, this implies that the maximum displacement of the body 1 (and therefore the transmissibility of the isolator) is large. As the frequency increases further, however, the 'inertia'force of the body 1 (which, as stated above, is proportional to the square of the frequency) increases rapidly so that the inertia force becomes able to-balan'ce the applied force and the force exerted by the spring'3 for smaller and smaller maximum displacements of the body 1.. This in turn reduces the magnitude of the force exerted by the spring 3, so that the transmissibility of the vibration isolator decreases rapidly.

The frequency at which resonance occurs is a function of the mass of the body 1 and the static stiffness of the spring 3, the resonant frequency increasing with increasing stiffness of the spring 3. Accordingly. the simple conventional vibration isolator suffers from two disadvantages. First, except for frequencies considerably above the resonant frequency of the system, it is not possible to achieve both a low transmissibility and a high static stiffness. Secondly, in order to reach a state in which the vibration isolator is eflicient (i.e., the state in which the frequency of the applied force is considerably above the resonant frequency), it is necessary to pass through a region (i.e., the region of resonance) in which the transmissibility is very large. It is possible to reduce the transmissibility of the vibration isolator at resonance by introducing damping, but this increases the transmissibility of the vibration isolator at higher frequencies.

Another form of vibration isolator that has been proposed is a system having resilience and mass, the centre of gravity of the mass being free to move relatively to each of the two bodies to which the vibration isolator is applied. Such a vibration isolator will hereinafter be referred to as a conventional two-mass vibration isolator, the term two-mass arising from the fact that the isolator utilises both the inertia force of the body to which the periodic force is applied and the inertia force of the mass of the vibration isolator itself.

Referring to FIG. 1B of the rawings, a periodic force applied to the body 1 is isolated from the support 2, by a conventional two-mass vibration isolator, which consists of springs 3a and 3b, between which there is interposed a massive body 4.

The characteristics of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator differ from those of the simple conventional vibration isolator in that it has two resonant frequencies and that, at frequencies considerably higher than the higher of the two resonant frequencies, a transmissibility much lower than that of a simple conventional vibration isolator having the same static stiffness can be obtained.

The first resonance occurs when the inertia force of the body 1 exactly balances the force exerted by the spring 3a. At frequencies close to this resonant frequency, it requires a very large amplitude of movement of the body 1 in order that the applied periodic force may be balanced by the difference between the inertia force of the body 1 and the force exerted by the spring 3a. This results in a large force being exerted by the spring 3a on the body 4, which therefore has a large amplitude of movement so that large forces are transmitted by the spring 35 to the support 2.

The second resonance occurs when the inertia force of the body 4 exactly balances the resultant of the forces exerted by the springs 3a and 3b. At frequencies close to this resonance frequency, the body 4 has to have a very large amplitude of movement in order that the difference between the inertia force of the body 4 and the resultant of the forces exerted by the springs 3a and 3b shall balance any additional force exerted by the spring 3a resulting from movement of the body 1. Therefore large forces are transmitted by the spring 3b to the support 2.

At frequencies higher than the second resonance frequency, the movement of the body 1 is in antiphase with the applied periodic force and, as in the case of the simple conventional vibration isolator, at very high frequencies only a small amplitude of movement of the body 1 is required for its inertia force to balance both the applied periodic force and the force exerted on it by the spring 3a. Therefore, the spring 3a exerts only small force on the body 4, the inertia force of which balances both this force and the force exerted by the spring 3b with only a very small amplitude of movement of the body 4.

Thus the transmissibility of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator is very low indeed at high frequencies. In fact, at very high frequencies, the transmissibility of a conventional two-mass vibration isolator is smaller than that of a simple conventional vibration isolator having the same static stiffness by a factor which is approximately proportional to the square of the frequency of the applied periodic force. This is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, which is a graph in which the vertical axis represents the attenuation or amplification measured in decibels and the horizontal axis represents 'y which, as will be seen below, is a quantity linearly proportional to the frequency of the applied periodic force. The full curves represent the attenuation given by conventional two-mass vibration isolators having the same static stiifness, but different values of R (the ratio of the mass M of the body ll, to the mass M of the body 4). The broken curve represents the attenuation given by a simple conventional vibration isolator having the same static stiffness. The curve 5 represents the attenuation when h zl, that is to say, when the mass M of the body 4 is equal to the mass M of the body 1. The curves 6, 7, 8 and 9 represent the attenuation when the value of A is 4, 10, 20 and respectively.

It will be seen that the performance of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator improves as the value of A decreases. As the value of A increases (that is to say, as the mass M of the body 4 decreases), the value of the minimum frequency for which the attenuation provided by the conventional two-mass vibration isolater is better than the attenuation provided by a simple conventional vibration isolator having the same static stiffness, increases. Thus, as A increases, it is necessary to operate at higher and higher frequencies in order to obtain satisfactory attenuation.

The conventional two-mass vibration isolator suffers from the same disadvantages as the simple conventional vibration isolator, but gives improved attenuation at high frequencies at the expense of being more massive.

further form of anti-vibration mounting that has been proposed is the so-called dynamic vibration absorber. Referring to FIGURE 1C of the drawings, a body it, to which the periodic force is to be applied, is separated from the support 2 by a spring 3 as in the simple conventional vibration isolator. On the side of the body 1 remote from the support 2 (i.e., above the body 1 in the form of vibration absorber shown in FIGURE 18) a body it? is secured to the body 1 through a spring 11.

The dynamic vibration absorber operates in the following way. The periodic force applied to the body 1 causes the body 1 to vibrate and this in turn causes the body it) to vibrate. At some particular frequency (the resonance frequency of the system consisting of the body iii and spring ll), the inertia force of the body it; exactly opposes the said periodic force. At this frequency, the body It is held motionless.

The dynamic vibration absorber gives very good attenuation at one particular frequency, but it has two resonances at which the transinissibility is very large and it is only suitable for isolating a periodic force of which the frequency remains accurately constant. Therefore it is not satisfactory as a mounting for variable-speed machines such as, for example, internal combustion engines used as power units for vehicles or vessels.

Thus none of the anti-vibration mountings described above gives the desired combination of a high static stilfness and a low transmissibility, except at high frequencies or at one particular frequency only.

This invention provides a vibration isolator for isolating from a first body a periodic force applied to a second body while at the same time transmitting to the first body a constant force applied to the second body, which vibration isolator comprises a variable-volume fluid-filled container for interposition between the said two bodies, a vessel containing a fluid, which provides substantially the whole of the static stiffness of the vibration isolator, conduit means of which the effective cross-sectional area is less than the effective cross-sectional area of the said container, which contains a body in the vessel and relative movement between the said.

bodies in the opposite sense causes fluid to flow in said conduit me ans towards the variable-Volume container under the action of the pressure of the fluid in the vessel.

Because the apparent bulk modulus of the fluid in the vessel opposes displacement of the body of fluid in the conduit means towards the vessel and relative movement between the bodies under the action of the constant force necessarily produces such a.displac ement, the force arising from the apparent bulk modulus of the fluid in the vessel opposes relative movement between the two bodies under the'action of theconstant force. When the frequency of the applied periodic force is very low, the inertia forces of the second body and of the body of fluid in the conduit means are negligible and the applied periodic force is balanced, entirelyby the force arising.

from the apparent bulk modulus of the fluid in the vessel. As the frequency ofthe applied periodic force increases, however, the said inertia forces also increase until a frequency is reached at which they exactly balance the force arising from the apparent bull; modulus of the fluid in the vessel. At this frequency, the applied periodic force is unopposed and the amplitude of the movement of the second body becames large, which results in a high transmissibility. As the frequency increases further, the inertia forces become larger than the force arising from the apparent bulk modulus of the fluidin. the vessel and partially balance the applied periodic force until a frequency is reached at which the inertia force of therbody of fluid in the conduit means exactly balances the force exerted on that body of fluid by the fluid in the vessel, so that the stiffness of the vibration isolator at this fre-, quency is (neglecting damping) zero, and the second body responds freely to that force. The amplitude of vibration of the second body then reaches a value at which the inertia force of the second body exactly balances the applied periodic force, which is therefore not directly transmitted to the first body.

It will be seen that, while the vibration isolator of the invention resembles the conventional two-mass vibration isolator and the dynamic vibration absorber in that it has a significant mass (that is, the body of fluid in the conduit means) which gives rise to an inertia force, it

.is distinguished structurally from them by the fact that,

in the vibration isolator of the invention, the mass of the vibration isolator is not resiliently connected directly to the bodies between which it acts. Further, the three antivibration mountingsdescribed above and the vibration isolator of the invention operate in fundamentally different ways. The principles of operation of the devices may be summarized as follows:

(1) In thesimple conventional vibration isolator operating at frequencies well above the resonance frequency, the applied force and the force resulting from the stiffness of the vibrationisolator are in phase and their resultant is balanced by the inertia force of the second body.

(2) The principle of operation of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator is similarto that of the simple conventional vibration isolator, butthe mass of the vibration isolator itself gives rise to an inertia force that provides additional attenuation.

(3) In the dynamic vibration absorber operating at the frequency of best attenuation, theinertia force of the additional mass exactly balances the applied force. Thus the second body remains stationary and has no inertia force. The static stiffness of the vibration absorber does not give rise to any periodic forcebecause the body that'it supports remains stationary.

(4) In the vibration isolator of the invention operating at the frequency of best attenuation, the inertia force of the body of-fluid' in the conduit means exactly balances the periodic force arising from the static stiifnessof the vibration isolator, and the inertia force of the second body exactly balances the applied force.

Although the transmissibility of the vibration isolator of the invention at resonance is (neglecting damping) zero, it isnecessary to provide a support for the resilient means and a residual periodic force is transmitted to that-support through the resilient means. This residual periodic force may, however, be reduced or'eliminated, as will be described below.

In all forms of the vibration isolator of the invention, it is essential that the vibration isolator shouldv be suitably damped in accordance with the purpose. to which it is to be applied, and this is discussed ingreater detail below.

The variable-volume fluid filled container may comprise a cylinder fitted with a pistan slidable therein and .filled, on one side of the piston, with a liquid, but such sliding parts almost inevitably result in some leakage and preferably, the container is, with the exception of an outlet to the conduit means, completely sealed. Thus the container may comprise a chamber fittedwith a flexible diaphragm andfilled, on one side of the diaphragm, with a liquid, or the container may comprise a flexible bellows filled with a liquid;

The factthat the effective crossrsectional' area of the variable-volume fluid-filled container isgreater than the effective cross-sectional area of the conduit means so thatthe magnitude of the displacement of the. centre of mass of the fluid in the conduitmeans caused by agiven relative movement between the said'bodies is. greater than the magnitude of the said relative movement results in two advantages. First, the effectiveinertia of the vibra-. tion isolator exceeds the mass ofthe fluid in the conduit means by a factor equal to the square of the ratio of the two effective cross-sectional areas. Secondly,because the said Opposing force acts directly on the mass, the magnitude of the said' opposing forcerequired to prevent relative movement between the two bodies, under the action ofa given constantforceis less than the magnitude of that constant force. Therefore, the residual periodic force referred to above is reduced; Thirdly, the relatively large amplitude of movement of the fluid'in the conduit means gives rise to adegree of'damping that can readily be controlled (by selection of'a fluid having an appropriate coefficient of viscosity and a conduit means having anappropriate cross-sectional area) and which is. large. by comparison with any damping provided by the remainder of the vibrationisolator. Further, the introduction of a substantial degree of damping canbe achieved with the application'of only relatively small forces. The effective cross-sectional area of the container may exceed the effective cross-sectional area of the conduit means by a factor within therangeof from 10 to 100. For some applications, this factor advantageously exceeds 100. and, for some applications, it preferably exceeds 1,000.

The fluid in the said vessel maybe a liquid and there, may be provided in the vessel, in order to reduce the apparent'bulk modulus of the liquid in the vessel, a resilient body of which the bullcmodulus is less than the bulk modulus of the liquidin the vessel. Theresilient body may be a body of-gaswhich maybe contained in a sealedbag. Instead, in order toprovide additional resilience when the fluid infthe vessel is a liquid, the vessel may be provided witharesilientdiaphragm or a resiliently .loaded piston or diaphragm.

As has been st-ated abo ve, it is important that thevibration isolator should be suitably damped for the purpose to which it is to be appliedand there may be provided an adjustable throttle valve for varying the magnitude of the viscous damping of the fluid in the conduit'means 9 (which usually amounts to substantially all the damping of the vibration isolator, the other sources of damping within the vibration isolator being negligible by comparison).

The non-dimensional quantity may be within the range of from 0.5 to 2.5. For some applications it may be within the range of from 0.05 to 0.5 and for other applications it may be not greater than 0.0001. This quantity is a function of the damping of the vibration isolator and gives a measure of the selectivity of the vibration isolator with respect to the frequency of the applied periodic force. Small values of the quantity correspond to a high selectivity, that is to say, a vibration isolator for which the quantity is small has a very low transmissibility at some particular frequency, but the transmissibility rises sharply on either side of that frequency. A vibration isolator for which the value of the quantity is large, on the other hand, gives a less good performance (that is to say, a higher trans missibility) at its optimum frequency of operation, but the transmissibility rises less sharply on either side of the optimum frequency.

Vibration isolators for which the value of is very small (that is to say, less than 0.0001) are suitable for use when the frequency of the periodic force remains approximately constant for in this case it is desirable to produce the greatest possible degree of attenuation at the frequency of the applied force. Vibration isolators for which the value of the said quantity is larger (say 0.2. and preferably less than 0.5) are suitable for reducing the amplitude of vibration at resonance of a mechanism having a natural frequency, for example, a body mounted on a conventional vibration isolator. The resulting system has two resonance frequencies, one at a lower and the other at a higher frequency than the natural frequency of the mechanism by itself and it is necessary that the fiuid vibration isolator should provide good attenuation over a frequency range which includes both the resonance frequencies of the system.

If it is desired to provide good attenuation at two or more considerably different frequencies, there may be provided at least one (the number being at least one less than the number of considerably different frequencies at which it is desired to produce good attenuation) additional conduit means and associated vessel containing a fluid, the or each additional conduit means communicating both with the interior of the variable-volume container and with the interior of the said associated vessel and providing the sole means of such communication, the container, the first-mentioned conduit means and vessci, and the or each additional conduit means and associated vessel together forming a closed fluid-filled system.

large. if an additional conduit means and associated vessel is provided, however, it is often possible to meet both requirements by choosing the parameters of the vibration isolator correctly. Thus, there may be provided only a single additional conduit means and associated vessel containing a fluid, the value of being within the range of from 0.01 to 0.1 and the value of C /m K (as hereinafter defined) being not greater than 0.0001. Such a vibration isolator may be regarded as consisting of two systems. The second system (that to which the quantities having the suffix 2 apply) has small damping and provides th required very good attenuation, and the first system (that to which the quan tities having the suflix 1 apply) has a higher degree of damping and produces a useful degree of attenuation at both the frequencies at which amplification occurs (the fact that there are two systems having different characteristic frequencies results in amplification of the periodic force at two different frequencies). While giving a correct general idea of the way in which such a twovessel vibration isolator operates, it is in an oversimplification to regard the vibration isolator as consisting of two distinct systems in this way. The procedure for selecting the correct values of the parameters for a particular application is discussed in greater detail below.

The invention also provides a vibration isolating device comprising a vibration isolator of the invention connected in series with a simple conventional vibration solator (as hcreinbefore defined), the part of the simple conventional vibration isolator that is connected to the first-mentioned vibration isolator constituting the said second body. Usually, in such a device the simple conventional vibration isolator provides the desired very good attenuation over a range of high frequencies and the purpose of the vibration isolator of the invention is to provide attenuation at what would, in the absence of the vibration isolator of the invention, be the resonance frequency of the system. In fact, the presence of two vibration isolators having different characteristic frequencies results in amplification occurring at two different frequencies and thus the degree of damping of the vibration isolator of the invention has to be sufliciently large to provide a useful degree of attenuation at both these frequencies. For this purpose the value of C /m K is advantageously within the range of from 0.05 to 0.5.

In another vibration isolating device according to the invention, a vibration isolator according to the invention is connected in series with a conventional two-mass vibration isolator (as hereinbefore defined), the part of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator that is connected to the first-mentioned vibration isolator constituting the said second body. Advantageously, the vessel and fluid contained by the vessel of the fluid vibration isolator together constitute the additional mass of the conventional two-mass vibration isolator, and the value of C /m K (as hereinfater defined) is within the range of from 0.05 to 0.5.

The invention also provides a system comprising a fluid vibration isolator of the invention, a mechanism which, in the absence of the vibration isolator, would have a natural frequency, and a support, the mechanism constituting the second body, the support constituting the first body, the periodic force being a force arising from the operation of the mechanism, and magnitude of the mass of the said body of fluid in the conduit means of vibration isolator and the stiffness of resilient means being such and the value of C /m K (each of the terms C 111 and K being defined in the specification) being so selected from within the range of from 0.1 to 2.5 that, at the said natural frequency, the vibration isolator will provide a substantial degree of attenuation. The mechanism and the mounted of the vibration isolator may be such that the periodic force is a centrifugal force arising from the rotation of the mechanism or a part thereof. The vibration isolator is here serving as a tuned damper while at the same time transmitting a constant force from the mechanism to the support for the purpose, for example, of supporting the mechanism.

The invention also provides a power unit which comprises and internal combustion engine, a support for the engine and a vibration isolator or vibration isolating device of the invention arranged to transmit at least a part of the Weight of the engine to the support. The internal combustion engine may be reciprocating engine and is advantageously a diesel engine.

Referring to FIGURE 3 of the drawings, a periodic force applied to a secondy body 1 is isolated from a first body in the form of a support 2 by a vibration isolator. The vibration isolator comprises a flexible bellows 12 of which the upper end supports the body 1 and the lower end rests on the support 2. The hollow interior of the bellows 12 is placed in communication with the interior of a vessel 13 by a conduit in the form of a straight duct 14. The bellows 12, vessel 13 and duct 14 together constitute a closed fluid-filled system. The bellows 12 may be. made of rubber, reinforced rubber or thin metal and the vessel 13' and the duct 14 are made'of metal of sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand the imposed stresses.

The vibration isolator operates in the following way. Periodic relative movement between the body 1 and the support 2 causes the bellows to expand and contract periodically and this in turn causes the fluid in the duct 14 to flow to and fro against the resilient action of the fiuid in the vessel 13. At the resonance frequency of the.

vibration isolator, the inertia force of the fluid in the duct 14 exactly balances the resilient force applied by the fluid in the vessel 13 so that the bellows 12 have no stifiness and the body 1 vibrates freely.

The attenuation provided by a vibration isolator of this type is represented by the full curve in FIGURE 6, the broken curve representing the attenuation provided by a' simple conventional vibration isolator having the-same.

It will be seen that the transmissibility Mdi =F sin tut-A610 (1) Equating the forces in the duct 14'gives:

Converting Equation 2'to eqivalent forces in the bellows 12' by multiplying by A /A gives:

Assuming. that the motion is simple harmonic and considering the amplitudes of the forces gives:

F :]x (K m w Mw +iC w)| (6) and F SZIAOPI but from Equation 4:

tends toa minimum (that is to say, the vibration isolator gives best attenuation) when It' should be noted that this gives:

V K zm w Thus, as explained qualitatively above, the vibration isolator givesbestattenuation when the inertia force of the fluid in-the duct 14 exactly balances the force resulting from the static stiflness of the vibration isolator.

Putting.-

7 21 in-Equation 12 gives:

m K Y X -'1 Y The: valueiof F /F tends to a maximum (that is to say, the vibration isolator gives'maxirnum amplification) when p -W1 1'Y1 that is to say, when 2 1+M Dividing Equation 12by A putting.

1 F 2 'Yr 1 M 13 and substituting for from Equation 15 gives:

A12 "s 1+A Y A -l max. =1 t M2 *5 Yo, -l

whence Y \l 1 2 A 1 7n Now A is large and therefore X EEG/A Thus, if Y is to be greater than 1 (that is to say, if the single-vessel vibration isolator is toshow any advantage over a simple conventional isolator having the same static stilfness) then X must be greater than A Further, if it is required that Y shall be very large (that is to say, that the attenuation at the optimum frequency shall be very good), X must be correspondingly large (that is to say, the maximum amplification given by the vibration isolator must be correspondingly large). Thus, in designing a singlevessel vibration isolator for any particular application, a compromise has to be made between having very good optimum attenuation, which gives large maximum amplication at some other frequency, and having low maximum amplification, which gives poor optimum attenuation.

The procedure in designing a single-vessel vibration isolator for some particular application may be summarised as follows--M, A and A will be known, and we have:

In order to find V the fluid to be used in the system must first be selected. If a gas is used then B =np Where p is the absolute pressure. Initially, 12 may be assumed to be unity. Subsequently, its act value should be determined experimentally. Therefore, with a gas filled system, we have:

(where m is the frequency at which best attenuation is required). Thus, by assuming a value of A it is possible to find L Substituting for C m and K in Equation l gives:

(where f is the frequency in cycles per second at which best attenuation is required). From this relation it is possible to see whether or not the assumed value of A 14 in fact gives the required degree of attenuation. The value of may be derived from the relation and then the value of X may be found from the relation X= vi Thus it is possible to see whether or not the assumed value of A is satisfactory from the point of view of the maximum permissible amplification.

If it does not prove to be possible to achieve the desired optimum attenuation without exceeding the maximum permissible amplification, then it is necessary to use a more complicated system such as, for example, a two-vessel vibration isolator.

The following example illustrates the application of a single-vessel vibration isolator to the mounting of a 6- cylinder 4-stroke diesel engine. The isolator is to support a weight of 1,000 pounds and is to give best attenuation at a frequency of 50 cycles per second, which is the firing frequency when the engine is running at a speed of 1,000 revolutions per minute. Further, the deflection of the vibration isolator under the static load of 1,000 pounds is to be 0.75 inch when the pressure in the bellows is 50 pounds per square inch gauge.

In the following calculation (and in the other calculations set out hereinafter), the numbers are given to a greater number of significant figures than would be justified in practice, in order to indicate clearly the method of calculation. Further, in the interests of simplicity, end effects (that is to say, effects resulting from the flow of fluid between the variable-volume container and the adjacent portion of the duct and between the vessel and the end portion of the duct) have ben neglected. These end effects can, however, materially increase the damping (as compared with the values calculated herein), especially when the fluid in the duct is a gas.

lf air is used in the duct 14 and vessel 13, and liquid is used in the bellows 12, then For air at a pressure of 50 pounds per square inch gauge and a temperature of F.,

V =19A cubic inches l=0.000l872 pounds per cubic inch al=0.00553 square inch per second Now K 1333 32.2 12 m Y Q V -5.2l7 pounds Therefore Selecting A =O.1 square inch makes L =6.967 inches Then That is, the attenuation at a frequency of 50 cycles per second is 47.1 decibels beyond that achieved by a simple Referring to FIG.- 6 of the drawings, a periodic force i applied to a body 1 is isolated from a support 2 by a twoconventional vibration isolator of equal static stiffness, With this value of A 3.6 cycles per second That is, with this value of A the system will experience i a maxim m amplifi ation of about 69.91 decibels when the frequency of the applied force is 3.6 cycles per second (that is to say, when the engine speed is 72 revolutions per minute) J I Referring to FIGURE 4 of the drawings, thefull curve represents the attenuation provided by the vibration isolator in the above example. The curve also represents, however, the attenuation provided by other such vibra-. tion isolators that incorporate atsingle vessel only and for which r C127 0 00002 i A0 inches I r The frequency of the applied periodic force is related to 7 by the following general formula:

frequency of the applied periodic force cycles per second The principle of operation of the two-vessel vibration isolator is ,the same as that of the single-vessel vibration isolator, but the presence of the additional duct and vessel enables the maximum amplification of the vibration isolator to be reduced. The attenuation and amplification provided by a vibration isolator of this type are represented by the full curve in FIGURE 9 of the drawings. The broken curve represents the attenuation provided by a simple conventional vibration isolator having the same static stiffness. A comparison of FIGURES 4 and 9 of the drawings shows that, as stated above, the maximum amplification of the two-vessel vibration isolator is greatly reduced as compared with the corresponding singlevessel vibration isolator. I r

The mathematicai'analysis of the two-vesel vibration isolator is similar to that given above for the single:- vessel vibration isolator and may be summarised as follows:

Assuming that a fraction 1 of the fluid in the bellowsvibrates in the system including the firstrvessel 13a and the associated duct 14a, and that a fraction (1-r) vibrates i ii in the system including the second vessel 13!) and theassociated duct 14b, then, for the first system:

mIKI YI Similarly, for the second system: v I V r F 1w ,w V

J e (17) F0 A2 C22 72 1 1" l m K The relationship between r and w is given by' the equation: r

Therefore, if C is small, it follows from Equation 21 that r20 when 'y =l Thus, for 7 :1, Equation 17 reduces to:

Fo A 2 2 2 +m2K2 when is large. Therefore, if the fluid vibration isolat tor is to give at this frequency an attenuation Y times greater than that provided by the simple conventional vibration isolator, it follows from Equation 22 that I m K Substituting this value in Equation 19, squaring and con- 1 '2 sidering the case in which A is large compared with M, Y is not small, and 7 51, gives T we From this expression, values of r may be found for values of less than 1 and hence tends to a maximum when In order that the attenuation provided by the system including the vessel 13a and the duct 140: shall be a maximum in the region of maximum amplifications of the complete system, m is selected so that:

52:5 ZVI m 7 This gives M: 1 $92 It can be shown that maximum amplification occurs When 71 If the maximum permissible amplification is X, then 2 I 012 X= (max.)='%/ jl i i 075 from which, for q =0.1, it follows that The procedure in designing a two-vessel vibration isolator for some particular application may be summarised as follows:

M, A and A will be known.

Then

After deciding which fluids are to be used in the systems, the vessel capacities may be obtained from the relations As explained above, m is so selected that If q =0.l, then (as has been shown above), the maximum amplification occurs when 50.75

Having decided upon the maximum permissible amplification then the value for (7, unti is fixed by Equation 25 provided that q ztll, that is to y,

0, 0.0625 1 1 1)0.75 Also, by substituting for C 111 and K the following relation may be derived:

(1, 12m l K1 if X 1 Therefore, the required value of A may now be found from the relation:

, 2 x Wi li And the value of L may be found from the relation:

m A 1 0 91 Also at mtand 2:22 A2 o pz Thus, by assuming a value for A it is possible to find L Substituting for C 121 and K in Equation 23 gives:

From this it is possible to see whether or not the assumed value of A is suitable from the point of view of the optimum attenuation required.

The following example illustrates the application of a two-vessel vibration isolator to the'rnounting of a 6-cylinder 4-stroke diesel engine running at 1000 revolutions per minute. The weight to be supported by the vibration isolator is 1,000 pounds and it is required that the static deflection of the vibration isolator shall be 0.75 inch when the pressure in the bellows is 100 pounds per square inch gauge. It is also required that the best attenuation should occur at the firing frequency and that the maximum amplification should not be greater than 6 decibels.

A must be 10 square inches.

Assume that q is to be 0.1.

Water is used in the system consisting of the bellows 12, vessel 13a and duct Ma, and air is used in the vessel 13b and duct 14!).

For the water at a pressure of 100 pounds per square inch gauge and a temperature of F.:

B =3.0 10 pounds per square inch p =0.()36 pound per cubic inch 11,:000133 square inch per second Therefore 'V =1.18 cubic feet and f =3.l28 cycles per second.

The maximum permissible amplification is 6 decibels and therefore Hence A =O.0O881 square inch, and L =26.9l9 inches. 

1. A VIBRATION ISOLATOR FOR ISLATING FROM A FIRST BODY A PERIODIC FORCE APPLIED TO A SECOND BODY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TRANSMITTING TO THE FIRST BODY A CONSTANT FORCE APPLIED TO THE SECOND BODY, WHICH VIBRATION ISOLATOR COMPRISES A VIRIABLE-VOLUME FLUID-FILLED CONTAINER FOR INTERPOSITION BETWEEN THE SAID TWO BODIES, A FIRST VESSEL CONTAINING A FLUID, FIRST CONDUIT MEANS OF WHICH THE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA IS LESS THAN THE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE SAID CONTAINER, WHICH CONTAINS A BODY OF FLUID AND WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH BOTH THE INTERIOR OF THE SAID CONTAINER AND THE INTERIOR OF THE FIRST VESSEL AND PROVIDES THE SOLE MEANS OF SUCH COMMUNICATION, AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL VESSEL CONTAINING A FLUID, ADDITIONAL CONDUIT MEANS OF WHICH THE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA IS LESS THAN THE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE SAID CONTAINER, WHICH CONTAINS AN ADDITIONAL BODY OF FLUID AND WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH BOTH THE INTERIOR OF THE SAID CONTAINER AND THE INTLERIOR OF THE ADDITIONAL VESSEL AND PROVIDES THE SOLE MEANS OF SUCH COMMUNICATION, THE CONTAINER, VESSELS AND CONDUIT MEANS TOGETHER FORMING A CLOSED SYSTEM, AND THE MASS OF EACH OF THE SAID BODIES OF FLUID, THE DIMENSIONS OF THE CONDUIT MEANS CONTAINING THAT BODY OF FLUID, THE APPARENT BULK MODULUS OF THE FLUID IN THE VESSEL WITH THE INTERIOR OF WHICH THAT CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATES AND THE DEGREE OF DAMPING APPLIED TO THAT BODY OF LIQUID BEING SUCH THAT, AT A PARTICULAR FREQUENCY OF THE PERIODIC FORCE, WHICH IS DIFFERENT OF EACH OF THE SAID BODIES OF FLUID, THE INERTIA REACTION OF THAT MASS SUBSTANTIALLY BALANCES THE FORCE EXERTED ON THAT BODY OF FLUID BY THE FLUID IN THAT VESSEL. 